Iraq’s Cultural Heritage

A public panel, “The Implications of the Current Fighting for Iraq’s Cultural Heritage”was held on Friday evening, July 18, 2014 in Washington, DC. The panel was organized by the Iraqi Cultural Center. The session was highlighting on the current fighting in Iraq which broke out since the beginning of 2014, and the scope of devastation that impacted the archaeological sites in Northern and Central Iraq, and what were its implications for Iraq’s cultural heritage.

Moderator:Jabbar JaffarM.A. in Strategic Communication

Mr. Jafar holds M.A. in Strategic Communication, American University in Washington D.C., and M.A. in Media and Journalism, Iraq.Currently working as a public relation and media specialist at the Iraqi Cultural Center.
He was a training lead at CLS Company; in this position was responsible for management and oversight of training support for a variety of linguists and staff positions at all career levels. He gave lecture series on the culture and political systems of Iraq and other Gulf countries. From 2005 – 2008, he was a Senior Media Relations Officer, Public Affairs Office, PCO/GRD, Baghdad, Iraq. Manages public information and media relations with the Iraqi and Arabic media markets; plans, advises, coordinates broadcast and print interviews, and releases information.

Guest speakers:Brian Michael Lione Cultural Heritage Manager

Currently working as an Executive Director of University of Delaware Programs at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage (IICAH) in Erbil, Iraq.

Dr. Katharyn HansonArchaeologist specializing in the protection of cultural heritage

Her research combines archaeology, remote sensing, and cultural heritage policy. She has published and curated museum exhibits on damage to ancient sites in Iraq. She is the Program Director for the Archaeological Site Preservation Program at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage in Erbil, Iraq.

Abdulameer Al-Dafar al-HamdaniArchaeologist

Al-Hamdani is a Member of the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. Currently he is a PhD candidate at the Department of Anthropology of Stony Brook Sate University of New York.
Since 2003, he conducted several field work and excavation projects in southern Iraq, as a member and as a team leader. These included surveying most southern Iraq, adding new 1200 archaeological sites to the Iraq’s Inventory. He participated in protecting the Iraq’s cultural heritage in the south, particularly in Dhi Qar province, during and after the war of 2003, returning almost over 30,000 stolen artifacts to the Iraqi National Museum.

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It was our honor to have had hosted that panel discussion and we look forward for more support and coordination with TAARII and Saving Antiquities for Everyone.
Iraqi Cultural Center